FA Cup: All the third-round team news

Manchester United begin the defence of the FA Cup against Championship high-flyers Reading at Old Trafford on Saturday, live on BT Sport 2 (12.30 kick-off).

The 12-time winners beat Crystal Palace 2-1 after extra-time at Wembley, which proved to be Louis van Gaal´s last game in charge.

Arsenal, who have also lifted the trophy on 12 occasions, head to Preston, twice holders, later in the day, also live on BT Sport 2 (5.30pm kick-off).

Picture

Liverpool look to add to their seven triumphs - the last coming in 2006 - when they start their campaign against League Two promotion-chasing Plymouth at Anfield on Sunday, live on BT Sport 2 (1.30pm kick-off).

The final match of the round on Monday sees Leeds, whose sole success came in 1972, travel to Cambridge of League Two, which is also live on BT Sport 2 (7.45pm kick-off).

Here is the team news for those four ties as well as six other selected fixtures across the weekend.

Everton will be without Idrissa Gueye after the Senegal international headed off on African Nations Cup duty. Fellow Toffees midfielder James McCarthy (hamstring) and goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (dead leg) are not yet ready to make their returns to action, and forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin (ankle) has been ruled out for up to eight weeks. Aaron Lennon is a doubt but Bryan Oviedo is fit again, while new signing Ademola Lookman is unable to make his debut in this game as he is cup-tied. Wilfred Ndidi is available to make his debut for Leicester at Everton after completing a £15million move from Genk this week. Jamie Vardy could return after serving his three-match ban for a red card in the Foxes’ 2-2 draw at Stoke last month. Danny Drinkwater may also make his comeback after sitting out Monday’s 0-0 draw at Middlesbrough as boss Claudio Ranieri did not want to risk him after a knee injury. Islam Slimani and Riyad Mahrez have joined up with Algeria for the African Nations Cup and Daniel Amartey has headed to Gabon with Ghana.

Hull’s new head coach Marco Silva could have Abel Hernandez available for his first game in charge. Striker Hernandez, out since early November due to a groin injury, is back in full training and could feature but Silva will be without central defenders Curtis Davies (hamstring) and Harry Maguire (hip). Ahmed Elmohamady and Dieumerci Mbokani are on African Nations Cup duty with Egypt and DR Congo respectively, but goalkeeper Allan McGregor is also back in contention and could make his first appearance of the season following back surgery in the summer. New Swansea boss Paul Clement will make some changes despite seeing his side win 2-1 at Crystal Palace on Tuesday night, He takes charge for the first time on Humberside and his plan to rotate could mean starts for Leroy Fer, Modou Barrow, Nathan Dyer and Borja Baston. Jordi Amat is available after serving a one-match ban but Jefferson Montero remains sidelined with a hamstring problem.

Wayne Rooney will return to Manchester United’s starting line-up after three games out with a thigh problem. He needs just one goal to equal Sir Bobby Charlton’s all-time scoring record of 249 at United. Sergio Romero will start in goal instead of first-choice keeper David de Gea. Morgan Schneiderlin and Memphis Depay will not be considered while their futures remain unresolved, defender Eric Bailly is at the African Nations Cup and Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be rested, though Luke Shaw may feature and Bastian Schweinsteiger will be in the squad. Reading midfielder Callum Harriott will miss out. The 22-year-old limped off during the abandoned game against Fulham last week and is set for “a couple of weeks” on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury. Striker Deniss Rakels is nearing a return from a broken ankle but is not expected to be included in the squad this weekend. Stephen Quinn and Anssi Jaakkola (both knee injuries) remain sidelined.

Norwich must again do without suspended midfielder Robbie Brady and Northern Ireland goalkeeper Michael McGovern is expected to come into the side if manager Alex Neil opts to rotate the squad, along with the likes of Scottish full-back Steven Whittaker, defender Ryan Bennett, midfielder Alex Pritchard, winger Josh Murphy and forward Kyle Lafferty. Winger Matt Jarvis is stepping up his rehabilitation from knee surgery in the summer as he targets a first senior appearance of the season. Midfielder Graham Dorrans (knee) remains sidelined while Louis Thompson continues to recover from an abdominal problem. Claude Puel is expected to shuffle his pack for Southampton’s FA Cup third-round tie at Norwich on Saturday. The Saints boss has bemoaned the recent fixture pile-up and could give some of his younger players the chance to shine at Carrow Road. Virgil van Dijk is available after a ban but it is unlikely he will feature as Charlie Austin (shoulder), Matt Targett (hamstring) and Jeremy Pied (knee) all remain long-term absentees, while captain Jose Fonte could miss out after handing in a transfer request.

Preston are still without striker Jermaine Beckford as he continues to serve a suspension. Defender Marnick Vermijl will be assessed after missing Monday’s victory over Burton with a groin strain. Midfielders Aiden McGeady and Paul Gallagher are in contention after continuing their returns from injury with late substitute appearances at Burton. New signing Daryl Horgan could come into the reckoning after overcoming illness and defender Alex Baptiste may return. Arsenal will be without Francis Coquelin. The midfielder was forced off in the 3-3 draw at Bournemouth with a hamstring issue and could be out for up to a month. But there is a chance Danny Welbeck could make his long-awaited return from a serious knee injury. David Ospina will deputise for Petr Cech in goal but Mesut Ozil (illness), Theo Walcott (calf) and Lucas Perez (ankle) are all doubts, with Santi Cazorla (Achilles), Mohamed Elneny (international duty), Per Mertesacker and Kieran Gibbs (both knee) definitely missing.

Sunderland will be without Lamine Kone, Didier Ndong and Wahbi Khazri as the three have now linked up with their respective countries ahead of the African Nations Cup and will be unavailable for several weeks. Midfielder Steven Pienaar will miss out once again this weekend with a calf injury. Full-back Billy Jones returns to contention after a one-match man, while midfielder Jason Denayer is back in training following a hamstring strain, but striker Victor Anichebe (also hamstring) is still out and joins Jordan Pickford, Jan Kirchhoff, Paddy McNair and Duncan Watmore (all knee), Lee Cattermole (hip) and Lynden Gooch (ankle) on the sidelines. Joey Barton could make his second debut for Burnley. Barton has re-signed for his former club until the end of the season and should appear in a changed starting XI. Tom Heaton is expected to make way in goal for either Paul Robinson or Nick Pope while loanees Patrick Bamford and John Flanagan have been made available by Chelsea and Liverpool and could make rare starts.

Last season: No Corresponding fixture

Top scorers: Jermain Defoe (Sunderland) 11; Andre Gray (Burnley) 5

Match odds: H 5-4 D 11-5 A 2-1

Referee: Stuart Attwell (Warwickshire)

Sunday January 8

Kurt Zouma and Michy Batshuayi are to start for Chelsea, with defender Zouma fit again after a long-term knee injury. Striker Batshuayi has had limited opportunities since signing from Marseille last summer. Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is to rotate his options after Tottenham ended a 13-game winning run in the Premier League on Wednesday night, with club captain John Terry also a potential starter. Peterborough manager Grant McCann has no fresh injury concerns. Recent signings Martin Samuelsen and Dominic Ball are eligible to play but McCann will not make his final squad decisions until Saturday. New striker Junior Morias, who signed from St Albans in December, is unable to play as he is cup-tied. Peterborough are unbeaten in seven games in all competitions.

Last season: No Corresponding fixture

Top scorers: Diego Costa (Chelsea) 14; Gwion Edwards (Peterborough) 9

Match odds: H 3-20 D 11-2 A 14-1

Referee: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire)

Liverpool v Plymouth

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will rest the majority of his senior players. Loris Karius, dropped as first-choice goalkeeper last month, will return while defender Joe Gomez will play his first match for Klopp having been sidelined by a serious knee injury since October 2015. Striker Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and defender Joel Matip (all ankle) and James Milner (calf) will all miss the game with captain Jordan Henderson (heel) not expected back until next week’s Premier League trip to Manchester United, while Sadio Mane is at the African Nations Cup. Plymouth are unable to hand new signing Jakub Sokolik his debut given he has already featured in the competition earlier this season for Southend. Manager Derek Adams is, however, again expected to start Paul-Arnold Garita despite his continued attempts not to over-burden the striker’s knee problem. There could also be a recall to the starting XI for Nauris Bulvitis, whose fitness is improving following a hamstring injury.

Last season: No Corresponding fixture

Top scorers: Sadio Mane (Liverpool) 9; Graham Carey (Plymouth) 10

Match odds: H 1-6 D 6-1 A 16-1

Referee: Paul Tierney (Lancashire)

Tottenham v Aston Villa

Mauricio: "He has travelled to Rome with our staff to finish his recovery. We hope after that he can be involved with the team again." #COYSpic.twitter.com/iCdM7Zgp9x

Erik Lamela is Tottenham’s only absentee and he has been been allowed to undergo treatment for a hip injury with his former club AS Roma to accelerate his recovery.Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino is expected to rest several key players at White Hart Lane, with Vincent Janssen, Harry Winks, Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier all likely to come in. Sam Johnstone could make his Villa debut after the goalkeeper joined on loan from Manchester United. The 23-year-old has moved to Villa Park for the rest of the season and has been given permission to play in the FA Cup. Mile Jedinak is expected to be fit after shaking off a sickness bug and boss Steve Bruce has no other fresh injury worries.

Monday January 9

Cambridge could have an injury boost with Brad Halliday and George Maris, who missed the 4-0 victory over Notts County due to knocks, possibly being passed fit. But the U’s will be without Keith Keane and Elliot Omozusi after they left the club by mutual consent. Barry Corr and Medy Elito (both knee) remain sidelined. Leeds midfielder Eunan O’Kane could be in contention after being sidelined for seven matches due to a groin strain. O’Kane recently returned to training and head coach Garry Monk must decide whether to include him in his plans. Defender Charlie Taylor is not expected to feature due to an Achilles problem that has kept him out for three games, so Gaetano Berardi should continue at left-back.